Apr. 25: New Superintendent Selected

On April 25, 2017, Dinwiddie County School Board selected Dr. Kari Weston as the new Superintendent of Schools. After an extensive and rigorous search process conducted by the Virginia School Boards Association, the Board chose Dr. Weston for her broad and established instructional leadership roles across all grade levels, strength in collaboration and proven leadership in increasing student learning and achievement. Dr. Weston was selected from more than 30 applicants who applied for the position.

For the past two years Dr. Weston has worked as the school district’s Assistant Superintendent for Instruction. She will assume her new role on July 1, 2017 following the retirement of W. David Clark who has served the county for the past ten years.

Dr. Weston is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Old Dominion University where she earned a B.S. degree in Education and a Summa Cum Laude graduate of The George Washington University where she earned a Master of Education degree in Education and Human Development, an Education Specialist degree in Administration and Supervision and a doctorate degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies.

With more than 27 years of experience, Dr. Weston has worked as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, director, executive director and an assistant superintendent in the areas of academic and instructional services. Her combined experiences have afforded her the opportunity to work as an instructional leader at the early childhood, elementary, middle, high school and central administration levels in rural, suburban and urban educational settings ranging from 1,500 to 32,000 students and 300 to 5,000 employees. Dr. Weston also worked in the private sector as a Director of Achievement for Catapult Learning. In this role she collaborated with school boards and district leaders to improve student outcomes in public, private, parochial and charter schools across the northeast region of the United States. Additionally, Dr. Weston has served as an adjunct professor at Old Dominion University and The George Washington University Hampton Roads Campus.

Dr. Weston has received numerous recognitions and has been featured at the local, state and national levels for student achievement, community leadership and her work as an instructional leader. Dr. Weston was selected by her peers as a Teacher of the Year and an Administrator of the Year. Recognized by the Associated Press and Education Trust for closing achievement gaps, Dr. Weston’s school was named a Title I Distinguished School by the Virginia Department of Education and a Blue Ribbon School by the United States Department of Education. Dr. Weston was also honored as a Principal of Excellence by the local Council of PTA and, as a result, is an Honorary Life Member of the Virginia Congress of Parents and Teachers. Dr. Weston’s collaborative leadership also led to a previous school division being honor by the National School Boards Association Technology Leadership Network as a one of three nationally recognized Salute Districts.

Dr. Weston believes the school division has a greater impact when there are strong community partnerships. To this end, Dr. Weston currently serves as Board President for Smart Beginnings Southeast and a member of the leadership team for Dinwiddie County’s Resource Council Steering Committee. She is also partnering with Dinwiddie County leaders to address the cycle of intergenerational poverty through participation in the NACo Rural Impact County Challenge.

Dr. Weston and her husband live in Dinwiddie community. They have three children, a son who is a student at James Madison University majoring in geology with a minor in astronomy, a married daughter who is the eLearning Program Manager for the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists in Arlington, Virginia and a daughter who is a full-time wife and mother to Dr. Weston’s three amazing granddaughters.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the Dinwiddie County School District as superintendent” Weston stated. “The district has a rich history of excellence and is well supported by the community. I look forward to furthering the smart work we’ve started over the past two years and leading alongside an invested staff, School Board and community to ensure that the young people of Dinwiddie County are afforded a PK-12 education that readies them with the knowledge, skills, competencies and experiences necessary to be successful in life beyond high school graduation.”